Catherine of Navarre

Catherine of Navarre (1468-12 February 1517) was Queen of Navarre from 7 January 1483 to 21 February 1517, succeeding Francis of Navarre and preceding Henry II of Navarre. She was the wife of John III of Navarre.

Biography
Catherine of Navarre was the younger daughter of Gaston de Foix and Magdalena of Valois; she was the maternal niece of King Louis XI of France. In 1483, the death of her brother Francis of Navarre made Catherine the Queen of Navarre under the regency of her mother, igniting a civil war that lasted from 1483 to 1492. She decided to marry Jean d'Albret that same year to give her support against her rivals, and they married in 1486. In 1494, the civil war was brought to an end, and even King Ferdinand II of Aragon was forced to sign a peace treaty with the Navarrese. In 1504, she made her son Henry the heir to the throne, despite Salic law disqualifying him from succeeding to the throne. In 1512, Spain conquered southern Navarre, and a Navarrese attempt to reconquer the south in 1516 failed. A depressed King John died in Monein that same year, and Catherine died a year later.